Bittersweet
by Topaz Tsubasa
Summary: Lisanna and Lucy have a talk about NaLu. Very short drabble, semi-reflective.


The café was in a quiet, mid-afternoon lull; the bustling life Magnolia's streets had to offer had halted before the door, a distant thrum of people serving as the only reminder of where they were. Golden sunshine streamed through the café window, reflecting off the hair of the blonde sitting across from her. Lisanna had always liked Lucy's hair more than her own; it was vibrant and beautiful, much like its owner. It was Lucy that had called her here-to hang out, she'd said, but Lucy was picking at a cake in front of her, more preoccupied than anything.

She hadn't known her for very long, but this was so unlike the Lucy she usually saw that Lisanna couldn't help but ask, "Is something wrong, Lucy?"

Lucy snapped out of her haze, a slurry of emotions crossing over her face so quickly that Lisanna couldn't keep up. "I-I'm sorry, I just-" Their eyes met, and Lisanna could finally discern at least part of what she saw: guilt, the kind that settled deep and ate away at you.

Ah. She knew what this was about. "You want to know about Natsu, don't you?"

Lucy bit her lip. "Yes," she answered.

"Specifically...me and Natsu?"

A pause. And then, Lucy nodded.

Lisanna sighed. This was a conversation she saw coming for a long time, if only because she saw so much of herself in Lucy sometimes. Lucy was too kind. While they both had connections to the same people, Lucy didn't have as much history, and Lisanna understood how that could be a source of insecurity. And from the looks of things, whatever she was thinking about was eating at her completely.

"I like Natsu," Lucy blurted, and then seemed to reel back at her own words. "I'm sorry, I mean, I didn't always, and I only figured this out yesterday and it was really confusing and I didn't want to disrespect you two-"

"Wait, hold up," Lisanna interrupted, holding up a hand. "First of all, _us two?_"

Lucy visibly deflated. "I just...he's always had you, hasn't he? When you got back, I was certain the first thing you two would do was get together. And you haven't yet, but who says you won't?"

Lisanna stilled. That was what had the blond girl so preoccupied? That's what drove her to be so worried that she went out of her way to invite Lisanna to a little-known café all the way on the other side of town? She couldn't help it; giggles started bubbling in her chest, until finally, she was laughing so hard tears streamed from her eyes. "Oh, that's rich! Oh-! Hahaha!"

Her laughter was the loudest thing in the room, and both girls caught the barista glaring at them. It made the laughter die in Lisanna's throat.

Exhaling happily, she waved apologetically at the barista and wiped some water from her eye. "That's the funniest thing I've heard in a while. Lucy, I haven't liked Natsu for a _long_ time, and he hasn't liked me for a long time either."

"What? But-"

"What you need to realize, Lucy, is that the two of us were kids. It's been years since then." She shrugged. "Sure, the fact that he doesn't like me does sting a little, but it's a good kind of pain. The kind of pain that's just a part of growing up." Lisanna smiled reassuringly. "He's very clearly moved on," she tapped Lucy's forehead, "to fresher waters."

Lucy's eyebrows drew together; her eyes bored into Lisanna's, searching for what, Lisanna didn't know. "...You're sure you're fine with it?"

She rolled her eyes. "_Yes_. You have my complete approval. Now do the both of you a favor and tell him how you feel."

"Lisanna, I-"

"Lucy. _Scat_."

"Fine! Fine." Lucy threw her hands up in the air, but she was smiling, and Lisanna could finally see that she was back to her usual self. Standing up, she said, "Thanks, Lisanna. I mean it."

"I know." Lisanna winked and grinned with all the encouragement she could muster. "Go get 'em."

Lucy nodded and bade her farewell. She left the café in a determined stride, and Lisanna's smile faltered, until it fell off completely after she saw Lucy bound past her through the huge windows. She sighed. "Barista!" she called. "Can I get a cup of coffee? Black, three sugars."

The blonde was more perceptive than Lisanna gave her credit for. It was true that she was happy for both her and Natsu, but...there was something else. Something in her chest that she couldn't identify until the mug of coffee was placed in front of her.

Lisanna paid the barista and brought the mug to her lips. _There it was_. She felt like this coffee tasted:

Bittersweet.

* * *

_A/N: This, my dear friends, is a nasty, unbeta'd drabble I wrote to take my mind off of some of the pressure Camp NaNoWriMo was placing on my shoulders. Seriously, why didn't I get a beta for this. Anyway, hope you still enjoyed it! I just wrote it because I thought there was too much of Lisanna either being a jealous witch or 100% supportive and not enough concentrating on how she'd feel about it. ...Though, I think I might have failed? Meh, maybe I'll fix this later on. Drop a review if you'd like!_


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